Students curbing national anthem concern

Bainbridge- Officials say the majority of adults don't know the words to the national anthem, or which song it is.

West Bainbridge Elementary School kicked-off the Federal "National Anthem Project" today with its own special presentation to help solve that problem. Students and faculty at West Bainbridge Elementary School are determined to restore the Star Spangled Banner among adults. "Surveys show two out of every three American adults cannot finish all the words to the national anthem," says Music Specialist Bill Dixon.

That's a growing problem students are taking upon themselves to stop. "It's restoring America's voice. And most of us wanted to restore America's voice," says 4th grader and Student Council Vice President Destine Salter.

It took weeks of preparation to get these students ready to teach adults decades older than themselves. But the effort paid off. "It's practically what the United States is," says 5th grader and Student Council President Trevor Watts. "If we don't know the national anthem, we don't really know what America is about," adds Salter.

That just goes to show, even elementary school students can save the day during a time of national concern. "Just being able to be a part of this special emphasis will mean more to them, the song will mean more to them throughout the years," says Dixon And that goes for America's adults too.

The Star Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key during the war of 1812. It was set to a tune composed by John Stafford Smith, and became our national Anthem in 1931.